The present invention relates generally to a medical instrument capable of migrating through a lumen of a tubular body part.
Medical instruments for migrating through a lumen of a tubular body part, such as the large intestine, are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,662 discloses an endoscope provided with distal, intermediate and proximal inflatable cuffs. The cuffs are selectively inflated and deflated to effect migration of the distal end of the instrument through the lumen of a tubular body part. The instrument is provided with a sheath which encases a bundle of optical fibers. A first portion of the fibers transmits light from an external source through a window at the distal end of the instrument, while a second portion of the fibers transmits an image back to the proximal end of the instrument from the field of view of the window. The distal cuff is secured to the sheath and is radially expandable. The proximal and intermediate cuffs are secured to the distal and intermediate cuffs, respectively, and are axially slidable on the sheath. The proximal cuff is radially expandable while the intermediate cuff is axially expandable.
During a procedure involving use of an endoscope, such as the one disclosed in the noted patent, the instrument must be carefully navigated through the tubular body part in order to avoid perforating the intraluminal wall of the body part. While the instrument in the noted patent is disclosed as having a cuff propulsion mechanism at its distal end to pull the distal end through the tubular body part, it does not include coupler means interposed between a distal-most section of the instrument and an adjacent section for movably coupling the two sections to one another. Such coupler means would allow the distal-most section of the instrument to easily bend when it encounters a turn or a bend within the tubular body part. The instrument further lacks means for effecting angular movement of the distal-most section of the instrument about coupler means.
The referenced patent also fails to disclose a medical instrument adapted for intraluminal migration which includes means for permitting annular imaging of the intraluminal wall of a tubular body part. Annular inspections would be advantageous for screening intestines for polyps and cancer. The noted patent further fails to disclose a medical instrument adapted for intraluminal migration which includes a charge coupled device (CCD) for viewing the intraluminal wall of a tubular body part, or delivery means for delivering medication or a radiopaque agent to a desired portion of a tubular body part.
Accordingly, there is a need for a medical instrument adapted for intraluminal migration which includes a distal-most section coupled for movement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the instrument. There is further a need for a medical instrument adapted for intraluminal migration which includes at its distal-most section a medical device such as means for permitting annular imaging of the intraluminal wall of the tubular body part, a charge couple device for intraluminal inspection of the body part, or delivery means for delivering therapy to a desired portion of the tubular body part.